Catherine McCorkill - Clarinet
Originally from Perth, WA, Catherine began clarinet lessons with Duncan Abercromby and Jack Harrison. She graduated with the Performance Prize from the Canberra School of Music, studying with Donald Westlake, and was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study in Europe & the USA with Hans Deinzer, Anthony Pay, John McCaw, Guy Deplus, Gervase de Peyer and Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr. In 1986 Catherine became principal clarinettist in the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, subsequently taking up positions at the WA Conservatorium of Music as a member of Ensemble Vasse, and at the Victorian College of the Arts, before joining the Australia Ensemble in 1995, resident at the University of NSW. Catherine has performed as a soloist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and most of the Australian Symphony Orchestras. Principal clarinettist with the ACO since 1994, she has also appeared as guest principal with the Melbourne, Sydney and WA Symphony Orchestras, the Australian Opera & Ballet Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. She performs regularly at major Australian chamber music festivals, including Huntington and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. Catherine will will tour Australian capitals this year with the Australian String Quartet performing the Mozart Clarinet Quintet. In 2005, Catherine joined the staff of the Sydney Conservatorium and tutored students of the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. Her CD recording with her colleagues in the Australia Ensemble of the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms was highly acclaimed in ABC 24 Hours magazine.
